


On the Irregular

by j4ponica



Category: SixTONES (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Genderbending, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j4ponica/pseuds/j4ponica
Summary: Kochi is a kindergarten teacher who loves her job but hates breaking routine, living a normal life with minimal changes. Her housemate and best friend, Juri, is the complete opposite of her. Formerly a salaryman, she suddenly quit her job to pursue music. This, along with major changes in herself makes Kochi worry a lot.
Relationships: Kouchi Yugo/Tanaka Juri
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

The alarm began to ring at 7 in the morning. No response. It rang more. Still, there was no response. It got louder. The bed sheets began to move. From the depths of a yellow blanket, came a human’s hand, slamming the alarm shut. The alarm dropped on the floor, making a loud “bang” noise, but it seemed that the human under the blankets did not care.

The human got up. It was a woman with brown, shoulder-length hair, ruffled from a good night’s sleep. Her eyes were barely open. Her limbs were not moving. The woman sat on her bed, still like a doll, thinking about the existential dread of a Monday morning. 

She finally got up, left her bed and cleaned herself up. The sound of the shower running was soothing and echoed through the small apartment she resided in. The warm water woke her up, even more so when the water suddenly turned cold when she tried to adjust the temperature.

Stepping out of the bathroom, the woman began to prepare breakfast. What did she plan to have for breakfast? Only she knew. Cooking in the morning was comforting for her, as she aimlessly chopped the vegetables for this morning’s miso soup. This, along with preparing lunch for herself, took no more than an hour. Such is the typical morning of Kochi Yuki.

Kochi had nothing to brag about in her life. She is, simply, a normal woman with womanly desires and problems. She lives in a small apartment in a small complex, but has little interactions with her neighbours. Kochi enjoys doing chores, especially cooking, but hated washing the dishes. She likes to reward herself with good food and clothing, much like every single working woman out there. 

Ahh, this cucumber. It reminded her of something…

Maybe something she watched last night?

Anyways, she was almost done with meal preparations. Another woman emerged from another room. Her hair was long, reaching below her chest. Those darkish brown locks seemed to intertwine in the most chaotic way ever. Her eyes were opened, but not her voice.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, good morning, Juri.”

Kochi lives with someone else. A woman by the name of Tanaka Juri. Typical salaryman, working 9 to 5 in a random company. Kochi could not help but to snicker at Juri’s voice in the morning. She sounded like a sick cow.

At about 8, an hour after Kochi woke up, the two women sat on the same table, having breakfast and talking about whatever came into their heads in the morning.

“I swear, I could hear you watching those videos last night,” Juri began.

“I always watch them at night,” Kochi replied.

“Well, either wear earphones or tune it down. Walls are thin and I’m trying to record.”

“You can always ask to watch them together.”

“Oh, shut it. We like totally different genres.”

“So...about your music.”

“Oh! Uhh, I’ve been getting more listens online!”

Juri produces her own music as a hobby. Kochi thinks she takes it seriously too - fitted with a mini studio setup in her small room. All the things were hand-me-downs from various friends and her siblings. Her siblings, especially, are not selfish about giving Juri new gadgets when she needs it. Microphones and stuff are expensive, and clearly Juri’s salary will not afford such products. Thank the gods that she has three older brothers and a few good friends.

On the other hand, she has to split the rent cost with Kochi. Technically, the apartment is rented in Kochi’s name, but Juri feels guilty if she cannot help to pay for rent. Kochi pays for all utilities anyways.

“That’s nice.”

Kochi knows that her housemate, her best friend, has a talent in producing music. Not only that, she also can rap, much like her older brother. These are all things Kochi will never imagine herself doing. Plus, she is perfectly fine in her little box. A good job, financial stability, an apartment she can live in and a best friend around? She cannot ask for more.

* * *

Juri made her way to the subway station, while Kochi walked the other way. She is lucky that she works in the same neighbourhood. A ten-minute walk and the spring breeze made this dreadful Monday morning a bit more bearable. Well, come to think about it, Kochi loves her job. Just thinking about all the children…

“Good morning, Kochi!”

“Good morning!”

Kochi got herself dressed. The uniform was simple: a polo shirt, long pants, an apron and whatever sneakers she wore on the way to work. This completes the uniform of a lovely kindergarten teacher. Kochi and another teacher stood near the school gate, as parents came to drop their kids to school. Kochi could not count how many times she said “good morning”, and how many children’s names she called. It is a small school, so Kochi knows most of the children by their first name. So do all of the teachers. The children, like everyday, were happy to see Kochi. Her smile, reminiscent of the sun. Her words, sweet like candy. Not to mention how great she is in storytelling. These kids will sit as still as they can, just to listen to Kochi reading a vibrant picture book.

Kochi really loves her job, but children can be a nuisance. They are clumsy. They are impulsive.

They are kids, what can you expect from them?

Oh, Hana-chan tripped and scraped her knee again.

Kochi comforted the little girl, as she treated her wound.

Plastered a Hello Kitty bandage on her knee.

Hana-chan was happy again.

She could only take a break when the kids had their designated naptime. Her fellow teacher and friend, Kotori was with her during the break. They quietly had lunch while the kids slept soundly. Having two teachers made teaching a bunch of children easier.

“You’re too into storytelling, again,” Kotori teased.

“I really like that story. It’s been my favourite since I was a kid,” Kochi replied.

“Well, I admire your burning passion for storytelling, and taking care of kids, of course.”

Teaching and taking care of kids was tiresome work, but working in a rigid, hierarchy-based company was more exhausting.

* * *

Juri hated her job with a passion. Why did she spend those years in university, just to get a job where she could only apply what she learnt 40% of the time? To begin with, she was never passionate about university. She once argued with her parents about wanting to be an idol, but they shut her down quicker than one of her brothers getting kicked out from his previous idol agency. This aside, absolutely nothing interest came out from the company. She was forced to do extra work, like serving tea to her boss, which was not required in the contract. It was truly unfortunate that her boss was a lazy hag. Her fellow female colleagues only made this workplace more bearable. 

During lunch, Juri had her bento silently at her seat. Her co-worker, Fumiko, was munching on a sandwich next to her, still rushing documents for that no-good boss. 

“You always have such a nice lunch. I’m jealous of you,” Fumiko said, staring at Juri’s hearty bento, made by Kochi. Kochi even drew a happy face with ketchup on the omurice she packed for Juri.

At times like this, Juri was glad that Kochi was her best friend. 

“Do you need some help?” Juri asked.

“No, no. Don’t tire yourself.”

“I just think that one hand on a sandwich, and another hand on the mouse will cause indigestion.”

“I’m fine. I just need to rush this one small part.”

Oh, Fumiko. Who told you to fall asleep when the boss was out for a meeting?

Juri was a bit happy today, a thing Fumiko noticed. This was strange, judging by how much Juri disliked her job.

“You got a boyfriend?” Fumiko suddenly asked. Juri almost spat out her water.

“No! If I did, I would have told you way earlier,” Juri replied, mildly irritated.

“Then what’s with the grin on your face?” Fumiko continued to ask.

“I am going to make the best decision of my life.”

“Getting a boyfriend?”

“No!”

Some of their colleagues started to return to the office. Fumiko took that as a sign that lunchtime was almost over and crunched words on the keyboard. Juri could only snicker at her attempt of rushing a document last-minute, while she slowly packed her bento back into her bag. She told herself, she had to tell her boss that before leaving work today, and tell Kochi the same thing after all was done. 

The boss, like every other day, was a nuisance. Fumiko got a good scolding from finishing her work last-minute. She was also told to complete pointless tasks for him. Poor Fumiko. Juri just pretended to work. Well, she worked, but she was also brainstorming on lyrics for a new song, and scribbled words on her notebook. She could imagine her boss’ face when she told him that.

And she was right.

* * *

Juri came back to the office with a smile after meeting up with her boss. This was an occurrence her colleagues had never seen.

“You’re quitting?” Fumiko screamed when Juri told her what she was actually discussing with her boss about.

“Now everyone knows, good job,” Juri sighed.

“Well, we have to know eventually. All I can say is I wish you good luck in the future.”

“Thanks.”

Juri took her bag and left the office. While on the crowded subway, she thought about her feelings when she wrote that resignation letter a few days ago. The boss just skimmed through it, but he would have gotten the message, right? He just told her to go. Officially dismissed by tomorrow. She thought that he would stall her for ungodly hours. Maybe that was too far. Perhaps he was just too lazy to even think about what Juri really intended behind this resignation letter. Juri was finally a step closer to pursue her dream career. No more getting stuck in this damned workplace. She felt bad for Fumiko though. She had to work overtime to make up for whatever crappy mistakes she made in her document. 4 other colleagues had to as well. She was only lucky because she was quitting, or the boss wanted to get rid of her after all. No matter what, she could finally break free from the restraints of a day job in a company. This was a luxury not many could afford, but she has Kochi, who loves her job, so she will be fine, right?

On the way home, she saw Kochi from a distance. Kochi looked happy, as always. She waved at Juri at the biggest velocity possible.

“A kid vomited right before classes were over, so I could only go home now,” Kochi said.

“Oh, that sounds bad,” Juri replied. How could Kochi still smile after that incident?

“Well, he made a mess, but the janitors were quick to clean and sanitise the classroom.”

“His parents must have been dead worried, right?”

“Yeah, they are, and apologised profusely for their kid. I told them not to worry.”

“Parents nowadays come in so many shapes and sizes.”

“Truly.”

Juri did not tell Kochi that she was quitting her day job. It was only dinner when she finally opened up to this.

“So, Kochi…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m quitting my job.”

Kochi almost choked on her food. She downed half a cup of water, but she still could not comprehend what Juri just said.

“For real?” Kochi asked again, just to make sure.

“For real. I handed in my letter today and he told me to pack my things tomorrow,” Juri replied with ease.

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? What are you going to do after tomorrow?”

“I dunno, just take life easily? I know what I’m going to do after I am officially dismissed.”

“You should go find a job after you take a break, you know? I can’t support both of us with my money alone.”

“Of course. I’m gonna do music full-time.”

“Oh god.”

Kochi could only sigh. She knew how immensely talented Juri is, but she found it unbelievable that Juri actually wanted to pursue her passion in music as a full-time career. Changing her job was the last thing Kochi would consider doing, but she knew that Juri was never the type to keep a schedule. Or being stuck doing the same thing for years. She was already like this since Kochi knew her in high school. 

For a second, Kochi felt lightheaded. She felt that she was going to pass out. This was too much information for her. Juri, however, looked relaxed.

“I have decided and I will commit to it!” Juri said.

“At least you don’t have to whine about your job anymore,” Kochi said, trying to think about something positive in this situation. That was certainly a good thing that came out from Juri resigning.

“Thanks, Kochi. I know that you don’t like change, so I will keep my disturbances a minimum, okay?”

“Your music is not a disturbance, just so you know.”

The two finished dinner and Juri offered to wash the dishes. Juri enjoyed cleaning. Maybe a bit too much. Kochi turned on the television and browsed through movie catalogues. She found a movie that she was interested in, but it had terrible reviews.

“Juri, come.”

Juri immediately flocked to the couch upon Kochi calling her.

“Should I watch this? It has terrible reviews,” Kochi asked.

“It has ropes on the poster. No wonder you’re interested,” Juri laughed.

“Quit joking. Should I?”

“Sure! I want to watch this too, and how bad it is,” Juri jumped onto the sofa.

So they huddled and finished the movie in one sitting. It was as bad as the reviews said, but at least it was kind of funny. For an instance, Kochi forgot about the worries she had about Juri quitting her job. At least she could enjoy this moment. These two hours were completely wasted for this awful movie, but it was worth wasting. 

To Kochi, who hated major changes in her life, she was nowhere prepared for the many changes Juri will be going through, but she keeps an optimistic view on this. What matters is that her friend is happy and doing what she loves the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Impulsiveness + Quarantine = Me, writing things before completing previous works!  
> I always had an idea of a genderswap/genderbend AU, so I decided that I will write a chapter for once a week (or shorter, if I get crap done) as writing practice. I get all the synopses done too, so I know what the heck I am doing for once...  
> Also, reviving a dead pairing in the progress? I have to manually type the relationship tag out since it does not appear in search results. Is this the first piece of work in this tag? I may never know.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> \- Note written on 2/8/2020, 12:56 a.m.


	2. Chapter 2

Kochi got to leave a little earlier at work. She walked back home on her own, thinking that Juri would be at home, lazing around, since she was officially dismissed, but Kochi came back to an empty apartment. Juri was nowhere to be seen.

Earlier this morning, Juri said that she was heading back to the office to collect her belongings and she would be free for the whole afternoon, but she was not home. Kochi tried to contact her, but she did not pick up the phone.

She sighed and went for a shower. It was a good day. The kids were well-behaved. The lunch she made herself tasted great, though it was the first time she attempted the recipe. In general, she went through the day without any big trouble. The only irritating thing was when a bird flew in the classroom and pooped on one of the tables.

The moment Kochi stepped out of the bathroom from her relaxing bath, she heard sounds of the door being unlocked. Juri was back home late, but not too late. Kochi still had not done anything for dinner after all.

The door creaked open. It was Juri, but…

She looked different.

“I’m home!” Juri called out to her friend.

“Get out of my house,” Kochi was shocked, and a bit angry with Juri.

Juri’s hair was bright pink. Bright pink, from top to her ends that was right above her chest. It seemed that Juri got a few inches of her hair cut as well.

“I just dyed my hair, Kochi! Take it easy!”

Koch let her in anyways.

“It’s been a while since I saw you with coloured hair. The last time was when you went blonde in university.”

“That was ages ago. I’m so glad that I could dye my hair again!”

Kochi could only nod. She remembered that Juri would always whine about not being able to dye her hair, because it would be “unprofessional” to do so. Kochi resonated with that. She was not allowed to dye her hair, unless it was another shade of brown, black or highlights that would not stand out. She once had light brown hair, but got told by one of the senior teachers at work. It did not feel good.

Bright pink was definitely not in Kochi’s consideration of hair colours she could go to work with. As for Juri, well, she is currently unemployed, so she can do whatever she desires to. She had to admit, pink hair suits Juri, and she looked exceptionally refreshing with this new hair colour.

Kochi noticed another thing different with Juri.

“Your ears…” Kochi brought up the subject, seeing needles on her ears.

“I got 5 more piercings!” Juri said, holding her palm in front of Kochi.

“FIVE?” Kochi yelled out.

“It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought,” Juri said, touching the needles that were placed on her new piercings.

“Aren’t you scared of getting an infection?” Kochi sounded concerned.

“I paid a lot for these, and it’s the same woman who pierced my earlobes when I was younger. I trust her.”

“Well, I don’t know much about piercings, but be careful.”

“I will, don’t worry.”

Juri went for a shower. Kochi was in the kitchen, preparing dinner, but she had way too many thoughts in her head. Firstly, what to cook. Secondly, about Juri. She came home with a completely different look. To be fair, it was just the hair and the piercings, but it was too much. At least that was what Kochi thinks. Again, Kochi hated change. It was not an outright rejection of any changes, it was more like Kochi was not used to the sudden changes her friend went through. She did not want to say it out though. Juri already did what she wanted.

On the dinner table, Kochi decided to talk to Juri seriously about her career change. Juri seemed a bit too relaxed about her own life, but that seriously bothered Kochi.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Kochi asked.

“I talked to a friend. He owns a nightclub and he said that he will pay me to perform there,” Juri replied without hesitation.

“A nightclub? It’s a pretty dangerous place, no?”

“You go to bars on weekends, Kochi.”

Maybe she should not tell Juri about that one time when she was catcalled and bothered by a man in his 30s… 

“Yeah, I suppose it’s fine, but be careful.”

“I’m only a year younger than you. You don’t have to worry about me.”

It was true. Kochi was not much older than Juri. Sometimes Juri was actually really mature and Kochi admired her for that. In this case, how she already planned about her future career as a musician the moment she quit her former job.

Juri was an adventurous girl since Kochi knew her.

“When are you going to perform?”  
“Every Friday and weekends. At night.”

“Sounds good.”

They ate in silence. Juri could see that her friend was not very happy with her career change, but Kochi did not say anything negative. She did not object to anything Juri said to her. Juri knew that Kochi, as always, was worried about her, but Juri knew what she was doing. She would never want to trouble her friend.

Kochi kept all the bad feelings to herself. It would be selfish for her to tell Juri to reconsider her resignation, but Juri already handed in her letter before she told Kochi about it. She was so confident too. Kochi knew that she would never act as confident as Juri anyways.

Juri looked extra dazzling tonight. No, nothing special happened. Kochi found herself looking at her best friend in another light. Seeing that she was happy and actively anticipating her new career made Kochi feel a bit relieved. She could only tell herself, perhaps some change is okay.

* * *

For the coming week, Juri slept through Kochi’s alarms. She did not have to wake up early anyways. She only needed to work from Friday onwards. Kochi felt lonely for the first time, making breakfast, preparing lunch, having breakfast all by herself. The silence on mornings did not help either. Juri was sound asleep in her room.

Juri did promise Kochi that she will clean the house and buy groceries when she does not work. Kochi has faith in her, knowing that her housemate is very responsible, and loves to clean, especially the toilet. And she fulfilled her promise. Juri woke up in the afternoon, did all the chores and went to the supermarket Kochi frequented.

She got a few stares from some middle-aged women, possibly because of her vibrantly-coloured hair, but she chose to ignore. Maybe it was because of her lackluster, or as Juri puts it, simplistic fashion, but Juri did not care.

She was here to buy the best carrots, as Kochi instructed on her shopping list.

Meanwhile, Kochi worked happily as a teacher. However, on this Friday, she was not having it. One of the boys from her class, Tatsuya, got into trouble. He was being mean, got into an argument with another kid over a slide and pushed him. Kotori went to stop the kids from fighting, as Kochi sighed and tried to keep her temper down.

Tatsuya was not allowed to play. Kochi monitored the child as the other kids were enjoying the playground. It seemed that he was not happy.

“Do you know what you have done wrong?” Kochi asked. Tatsuya shook his head.

“You pushed Ryota, and he’s hurt because of that,” Kochi pointed out Tatsuya’s wrongdoings.

“He didn’t want to play with me,” Tatsuya whined.

“Maybe because you’re not being nice?” Kochi replied, her voice more stern than before.

Most kids know that Kochi is very intimidating when she gets angry, and their minds will do their best to avoid being yelled at, though they were naive. Tatsuya could hear that Kochi was unhappy and lowered his head. He looked sad.

The last thing Kochi would want was to make a child cry. She crouched down, just so she could look at Tatsuya eye-to-eye, as the kid finally admitted that he was wrong.

“You should apologise to Ryota. I’m sure that after that, he’ll play with you again,” Kochi said, patting the child’s head. 

Her angelic voice worked on little Tatsuya. He nodded. Tatsuya apologised to Ryota after playtime, and they reconciled quickly. They even had lunch together and goofed around. The two kids even went home together after school, accompanied by their mothers. Kochi told Tatsuya’s mother about his behaviour, but said that everything “ended on a good note”. She could hear Tatsuya’s mother lecturing her child a little, but she was not mad at all.

Kids just need guidance from adults sometimes. Actually, most of the time.

Kotori and Kochi were tidying up things after school, while the janitors sanitise the playground and the hallways. It was peaceful, until a senior teacher called on Kochi. Apparently, the principal wanted to see her. Kochi did as she was told and made her way to the principal’s office.

“I heard that Tatsuya from your class got into a fight,” the principal began to speak.

“Yes, sir. He apologised to the other kid and they’re fine now.”

“Good to know. You’re reliable as always.”

Oh, here it goes again.

“Kochi, I apologise for asking this here, but are you free tomorrow night?”

“For what, sir?”

“A nice dinner. Just me and you.”

Kochi expected this response. The principal has been asking her out for a while. Although she rejected every single offer he gave, he still asks nonetheless.

“I’m sorry. I have to visit my family during the weekend.”

“I see. Maybe next time then. You’re free to go.”

Thank goodness that the principal brought in her excuses.

As Kochi exited the principal’s room, a small flame of fury surrounded her. Kotori immediately noticed her when Kochi went to change back into her casual clothes.

“He asked you out again?” Kotori whispered.

“Yes. He just never stops,” Kochi sighed.

She was seriously done with this.

“Why don’t you tell him to stop?”

“I can’t. He’s our senior. I can only decline.”

“You’re right…”

"Well, he let you go. It's a good thing."

"I suppose so."

It was certainly surprising how quickly Kochi could stop being angry and smile so brightly the next second.

* * *

Kochi escorted Kotori to the subway station and headed home herself. She checked her phone. Juri sent a message.

_“First day of work! I won’t be back until midnight.”_

Seemed like this was Kochi’s first night alone. She had most of her meals alone today. For a reason, she felt lonely, and that was what drove Kochi to visit a convenience store and buy alcohol. She was determined to get herself a bit drunk and sleep the weekends away, possibly.

Arriving home, Kochi was not used to this pin drop silence. Quietly, she put all the alcohol in the fridge, went for a shower, prepared and ate dinner all by herself, then slumped on the couch, watching a late-night drama. The drama was pretty good, but it felt different watching it alone. Last week, Juri watched the drama with her, though she was not interested and was on her phone most of the time. Kochi appreciated Juri’s warmth. Not tonight. Kochi, in her pajamas, watched the drama without muttering a single word.

She stood up and fetched the alcohol she bought from the fridge. Three bottles in total. She drank by herself, much like every Friday night. Juri was not too fond of alcohol, Kochi recalled. She would usually drink a bottle and call it quits, but Kochi would down at least three in a sitting. Tonight, she drank three. Then, an additional two that were in the fridge since last week.

The drama ended. Kochi was at her wit’s end. She felt angry, but she was not sure why. Maybe it was the principal. Maybe it was the fact that she was lonely. Kochi laid on the couch, trying to recollect her thoughts. Such was the real life of a kindergarten teacher: completely drunk on a Friday night, struggling to see whatever that was in front of her.

Gradually, the alcohol got her. Kochi grew drowsy. Eventually, she fell asleep, with the TV still running.

The sound of the door unlocking was heard. The door lightly swung open. It was Juri, who came back after her first performance. She thought that she did well. The crowd liked her performance. Unfortunately, her voice cracked in the middle of the song, but it was not too bad for Day One on her new job.

Juri saw that the TV was running, and assumed that Kochi was watching, but she found her best friend, sound asleep on the couch. The empty bottles of alcohol were by Juri’s foot, which she almost knocked over and would have caused a huge mess. Juri picked up the bottles and discarded them into the trash.

Seeing Kochi sleeping like that, Juri felt a bit guilty. It was not about pursuing a new career. It was about Juri herself not being there for her best friend, like she would do for the past years. Kochi hated being alone. Juri told herself, when she had the choice, she will definitely spend more time with Kochi. It was to make up for the weekend nights they both missed, as well as the fact that Kochi has to bear responsibilities for both rent and utilities now.

Juri also knew that Kochi would only drink when she had a bad day at work, or, presumably, that the principal asked her out again. It had been a problem for almost a year...

Before she went to sleep, Juri went into Kochi’s room, grabbing her blanket and gently placing it on her.

“You worked hard today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing is, I'm worried about my studies next semester and it's been bugging me. This is why I decided to write this chapter in a way to distract myself. I began writing at 10 p.m., but I procrastinated until now. Please lower your expectations even more for me <3  
> \- Note Written on 5/8/2020, 3:26 a.m.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks had passed since Juri began her new job. Kochi was gradually getting used to being alone during nights, but as Juri became a regular at her friend’s nightclub, as well as performing in other places, they did not talk much. Sometimes, all they said in a day was “hello” and “goodbye”. 

Kochi began to miss the good old days. However, thinking about it in another perspective, Juri looked much happier and stopped ranting about how crappy her job was. She was also more recognised for her music. The number of listeners went up, certainly. Kochi’s favourite song of hers was that one song about standing up for yourself. She was impressed that she could write a whole song all by herself. And perform it. Juri is a genius.

It was another Saturday afternoon. Kochi did not have work and slept until noon, but Juri was already gone. She messaged Kochi, saying that she will be performing in a new place, but did not disclose her location. Kochi did not ask either. It would be embarrassing to be in the same place as your friend when she was working, right?

The fridge ran out of food, so Kochi took a stroll at the neighbourhood market. She was recognised by some of the shopkeepers there. The auntie from the vegetable stall, on the other hand, recognised someone else rather than Kochi.

“Oh, it’s you today! Where did your punk friend go?” the auntie asked, surprised that Kochi came to the market today. Kochi could only guess that things spread quickly in this small neighbourhood.

“She shops for me during weekdays,” Kochi answered. She did not like the auntie calling Juri the “punk” friend, but she was too scared to correct her and cause an unnecessary fuss.

“Your friend isn’t working? That’s not good.”

“No, she has a job now. She’s fine.”

“With that outrageous look? Maybe your friend is doing things she doesn’t want you to know.”

Kochi could not understand. Juri never wore anything outlandish. She was always wearing the same type of white shirt and jeans. Kochi begged her to change her style up a little, but she would just put on a black hoodie, or wear some sort of coat on top that was from her brothers. Perhaps the auntie did not like her hair and piercings? Kochi did not want to argue with her because of things like this, so she went to pick the vegetables she wanted to purchase.

“I’m sure she’s not. My friend’s a really good girl, I promise.”

“She is very polite, yes, but keep an eye on her, okay?”

Kochi paid for the vegetables she needed and zoomed off. As she was walking around the neighbourhood, she noticed a new boutique. Out of curiosity, she went into the shop to take a look. They began to sell summer dresses! Summer dresses are her favourite type of clothing.

Kochi set her eyes on a sunflower pattern dress. It reminded her of the sunflower earrings she owned. It was a Christmas gift from her mom. This dress would go super well with the earrings! But how much was it?

Kochi took a glance at the price tag. 

¥ 5000? That was too expensive!

She left the boutique with disappointment. If the dress was not that expensive, she would have bought it.  ¥ 2500 would be such a great deal! If only she did not have to pay for the rent in full and the utilities…

Maybe she should ask Juri to pay half the rent again. It had been three weeks anyways. She was doing awfully well with this music thing. But then, would that be too selfish for her to ask something like this? Kochi thought about it intensely, and almost missed her apartment complex.

It was quiet back home. Even more quiet than the local library. Kochi did all the cleaning and arranged the food in the fridge, when she suddenly received a phone call.

It was Kotori.

“Are you free tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Kochi gave an honest answer.

“Wanna grab some drinks at a bar? I know a place.”

“Sure. Don’t get lost while finding it.”

“I won’t!”

* * *

The sun was setting. Night was about to come. Kochi, in the most casual fit possible, was waiting for Kotori to turn up at the subway station. She was not late, it was Kochi who arrived fifteen minutes earlier.

Ten minutes later, another train arrived at the platform. Many people left the train, but Kochi could spot Kotori from a distance. She looked a bit taller than usual. 

“Oh, you’re early!” Kotori waved at her in excitement.

“Not too early. I think my train was the one before yours,” Kochi replied, while staring in awe of Kotori wearing platform heels and not falling flat on the ground walking on them.

“Look at these new shoes! I bought them two days ago.” 

“Good for you. They look so nice.”

Kochi remembered the sunflower dress she wanted to buy, but gave up because of the price.

The two friends headed to the bar Kotori was talking about. She said that the cocktails were really nice, and they also had really good side dishes. Kochi was looking forward to what this bar could offer.

For certain, she was not disappointed. The cocktails were amazing. Kochi only had like two, and she already felt a bit warm inside. The seats were comfortable. The side dishes were refreshing. Judging by their outfits, most who came to this bar are “party people”. Kotori dressed like one, but Kochi stuck out like a sore thumb. She was asked for her ID when entering. Maybe it was the checkered skirt that teenage girls like to wear.

“What’s the matter? You’re sulking,” Kotori saw that Kochi did not look happy.

“I’m a grown woman, and they still ask me for my ID? I’m approaching my thirties,” Koch sighed.

“Well, you dress like a teenage girl with that skirt and sneakers. It actually looks really cute on you and I would have been mistaken too.”

“Not even you?”   
“You also have a baby face, just so you know.”

“Humph.”

“Don’t sulk. It’s nice looking young and you still have a few years before you hit thirty.”

“I think so.”

As the two chatted and drank more, music began to play at the bar. Apparently, this bar had live performers. First came a band that played out soothing jazz music. Kotori enjoyed it. So did Kochi. The people in the bar seemed to agree as well.

The television was rolling.it was a soccer tournament from Europe, but it seemed to be not important at all, since no famous teams were featured. However, Kochi might be wrong for thinking that, since there were quite a few men that had their eyes fixated on the television, while drinking beer.

Kochi sipped on a small glass of plum wine, the only thing she was in the mood to drink after the two sweet cocktails. Kotori ordered whiskey, something Kochi expected from her. Kotori had high-class tastes, a contradiction to her occupation as a kindergarten teacher. 

That time she drank five bottles of liquor was not pleasant to her body. She suffered a really bad hangover the day afterwards and needed Juri to pamper her. It did not feel good.

Kochi felt the sides of her mouth going up. For the love of god, she was already getting drunk. Kochi was not good with alcohol, and Kotori knew that. She just let her friend be and watched the band performance.

More performers came to perform. After that jazz band, there was this singer. After that singer, there was this female performer. Kochi was a bit too drunk to figure out who it was. Her vision had gone slightly blurry. The music, however, was lovely. That woman had such a soothing voice. A voice so comfortable that Kochi almost fell asleep. The way she strummed the guitar was also mesmerising.

“Hey, isn’t that your friend?”

“What friend?”

Kochi had an instinct to look ahead of her. It was a girl with a simple black hoodie and jeans. Wait, was that…

“Your housemate? Look.”

The pink hair was so eye-catching that Kochi noticed it right away, though her eyes were getting blurry. It was Juri? She was working at this bar and Kochi came here purely by coincidence.

“She texted me earlier today, saying that she’s performing in a new place,” Kochi responded.

“What a delightful coincidence!”

“This is embarrassing.”

Juri seemed to have noticed Kochi, and waved at her, but Kochi was too tipsy to respond. Kotori waved in her place instead. Kochi just laid on the table and groaned in disbelief as the alcohol began to get into her system. Maybe she really should not have an extra shot of plum wine. She led out a small giggle, thinking about the pure embarrassment from this encounter, but in reality, she was getting drunk and had no idea what was going through her head.

Kochi was completely knocked out and Juri tried to hold in her laughter when she saw her best friend slumped on the table like that.

* * *

Midnight was approaching. The two decided to leave. Kotori, holding a slight drunk Kochi, headed to the subway station. Juri waa there in the subway station, carrying a black guitar case, when she spotted the two and tagged along with them. The subway was mostly empty, so the trio sat together. Kochi was getting sleepy, and leaned her head on Kotori’s shoulder. 

As the subway travelled through different stations, Kochi fell asleep, so Juri and Kotori began to talk. They were merely acquaintances, but they struck up a good conversation, all about Kochi.

“I heard from Kochi that you’re trying out a new career,” Kotori began.

“Yeah. I was worried that Kochi would outright reject my idea, but she accepted it,” Juri replied, but she knew that Kochi was not completely supportive of her new career either.

“Kochi is the person I know who dislikes change the most. It must have been shocking at first.”

“It is, but I see that she’s still pretty happy, and enjoying life.”

“What can I say? She does love her job. Also, give her a bit more time to accept your new job. I’m sure she does care about you a lot and wants the best for you.”

“Thank you for these kind words.”

Kotori soon left the train, as Kochi and Juri continued to travel to the terminal. There were still 3 stations until there, so Juri let her best friend sleep. Kochi’s face was still red. Juri thought Kochi did well on her make-up tonight. She looked cute with that eye shadow and subtle eyeliner. Juri did not care much about make-up, but she put it on, out of habit, so even very simple make-up would satisfy her. Or maybe because Kochi is naturally pretty enough and the make-up brings out the best in her.

“Get up. We’re almost there,” Juri patted Kochi gently when the train was approaching the terminal. Kochi finally got up, her drunk feelings faded slightly. Juri’s kind and warm expression made her feel safe.

The two departed the train and exited the subway station. On the way home, they chatted about whatever Kochi had in her head.

“I didn’t know you are performing there,” Kochi said.

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you. And you got pretty drunk,” Juri laughed.

“I regret that extra shot.”

“I can see that from your face.”

“Speaking of which, I saw a really pretty dress today!”

“What’s it like? Where did you see it?”

“It’s from a new boutique near the market. It’s a really cute sunflower pattern dress that cost a flipping  ¥ 5000! How am I going to afford that?”

Kochi gets cranky when she is drunk. Sometimes. Usually when she could not lay on a bed and fall asleep right away. Juri had her fair share of tired, cranky Kochi who ranted about trivial problems, as much as tired, giggly Kochi who said many good things about her friendship with Juri.

“It’s that expensive? I never thought something from our neighbourhood can cost that much.”

“I know, right? Plus that auntie from the vegetable stall called you that ‘punk’ friend and said that you look outrageous. I don’t understand her problem.”

“Oh, she calls me that all the time. I don’t really care anymore, because she sells good ass cabbages and I don’t want to miss on a great deal.”

“You’re slowly adapting the ways of a housewife!”

Giggly Kochi emerged.

“Oh, shut it.”

“It’s fine! I appreciate your help these weeks.”

“You’re working hard, so I can help you by doing other things!”

Kochi immediately fell asleep on the couch when they arrived home. All Juri could do was to place a blanket on her and said a gentle “good night”. She told herself that she will definitely get that expensive sunflower dress Kochi wanted.

Hopefully, when Kochi gets up, she will remember to have a nice shower to deal with a possible hangover she might get, and put on that pretty summer dress her best friend got her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been very lazy for the past week. It's my fault for not wanting to do anything.  
> I realise that since I began writing this fic, I have grown attached to YugoJuri, and it's a delightful thing, until I realise how dead they are recently. I can't blame them. (I do miss my scarce HokuJuri content though.)  
> Unrelated to this fic, but I recently got into another idol group. I have no regrets, however, I am a fan of loud ass music and their rap line is mad talented. So are their vocal line, and their dance line. The whole group is a package of chaotic, talented goodness. (Therefore, stan Stray Kids.)  
> \- Note written on 13/8/2020, 1:44 p.m.


	4. Chapter 4

Dawn was approaching. In her friend’s now closed nightclub, she sat and drank the remaining cup of water. Juri was one of the performers last night, but she stayed behind to talk to her friend. That friend of hers was generous enough to give her free drinks, even letting her stay after business hours. As Juri’s friend began to clean up the tiny nightclub, he decided to talk to Juri about something.

“So I’ve been wanting to tell you this,” he began.

“Oh, what is it?” Juri was extremely curious.

Her friend began to explain to her about that thing he wanted Juri to know. It was an offer from his friend, who was a photographer. Juri did not understand why her friend would recommend her to the photographer, but she accepted it. At least it sounded like fun.

The sun began to rise. How long had she been in the nightclub? Or was it because summer is approaching and the sun rises earlier than usual? Juri checked her phone. It was 5:45am. Very early in the morning. So early that Juri swore that if she did not get any sleep, she would pass out.

She could feel her eyes closing at any second, so she said goodbye to her friend and left the nightclub. The streets were pretty much empty. It was awfully quiet outside, and a bit cool too. Juri put on a jacket and headed to the train station. The morning breeze would not last long, she told herself. Summer was approaching, and she needed to act quick, or else that dress Kochi wanted would be sold out.

When she got home, Kochi was already up. She never came home after Kochi had woken up for work. Kochi was shocked to see her returning home at such a time. Juri could see the confusion and delight in her friend’s face.

“You’re up early,” Juri commented. Normally, Kochi would still be in bed at this hour, but not today. She was up and about, making breakfast and her lunchbox. Juri noticed the smell of coffee in the living room, a familiar scent she enjoyed every morning with Kochi back then when she still had that dull job.

Juri was not a huge coffee person, but the aroma of it made her want a cup.

“Can you make an extra cup of coffee? I feel like drinking one,” Juri asked.

“Sure! Just give me a second,” Kochi said. Her voice was jolly as always.

Kochi had total control over the coffee machine. With just a few clicks, a nice cup of coffee was done brewing. Juri took her cup and slouched onto the sofa.

“Do you want to eat something?” Kochi asked.

“No. I’m drinking this and going to sleep.”

“Weird of you to go to sleep after a cup of coffee.”

“I’m missing the days where we have breakfast together.”

“I do too.”

Juri could hear the sadness in her best friend’s voice.

“So, how’s work this week?” Juri asked, wanting Kochi to focus on happier things.

“It’s fine. At least the principal didn’t ask me out yet, but other than that, the kids are an absolute delight!”

“You really do love kids.”

“Don’t you? You’re surprisingly good with them.”

It was rumoured that Juri had a babysitting job before. She was good with kids, which was surprising to a lot of her peers, Kochi included. A lot of people misjudged Juri, that was for sure.

“I do like them. Sometimes they’re little demons though…”

“Ah, I understand.”

Juri did have bad experiences with kids. It was actually with their parents, since Juri dyed her hair into vibrant colours back in university. She still could not understand why her hair mattered so much to the parents, but it had definitely driven Juri away from any childcare-related work. She admired Kochi’s guts and patience to deal with obnoxious parents. Kochi did say that she almost snapped at some of those parents, however. 

After finishing that cup of coffee, Juri went to take a relaxing bath. She was extremely tired, and fell asleep in the tub. Kochi, on the other hand, did all the preparations and went to work.

* * *

Work was pretty nice. The kids were all so well-behaved. Kochi breezed through the first half of the day without any trouble. Even Kotori could see that Kochi was in a very good mood.

“Hey, what’s with the permanent smile?” Kotori asked Kochi during the children’s nap time.

“I get to talk to her this morning,” Kochi said, with a hint of fondness, “I’m glad that she hasn’t changed at all.”

“Your friend? That’s great.”

“It’s the greatest thing that has happened this week.”

“I’m impressed that something this trivial can make you that happy already. Also, I think the kids really enjoyed your storytelling today.”

“I just feel very energised! Maybe it’s the coffee?”

“It’s your very cute friend, too.”

Yes. Kochi did think of Juri as “cute”. Not in the conventional sense, but Juri definitely was a charming woman. Only if she could get her photos taken professionally and people could marvel at her beauty…

This will never happen, Kochi told herself. If that happened, Juri would be even more busy and they could not talk to each other like they did before. Just the thought of living with someone, but not interacting with them made Kochi shudder.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. Probably caffeine. I took an extra shot today.”

“I can definitely see that.”

The day went by quickly. The kids had a fruitful school day. They also had a lot of fun. So did Kochi. Their smiles were a reminder of why Kochi loved her job so much. Things would be different if she pursued a business degree, no?

Life was pretty great.

As the kids left one by one, Kochi and Kotori tidied up the classroom. The desks and tables were all a mess. Although the kids were in charge of putting away the toys they played with, it still needed a bit of organising. Young kids had no concept of organisation.

It did not take long for the two teachers to tidy up everything. As Kochi glanced over the school gate, she saw a head of pink.

No. It could not be. Impossible.

The head of pink began to move, and it was…Juri in her normal attire. She saw Kochi and frantically waved at her. Kochi could see that her friend was very happy, as the parents that picked up their kids side eyed her. Their judgemental stares did not affect Juri though.

Kochi quickly changed back into her own clothes and met Juri by the gate.

“What are you doing here?” she complained.

“I want to pick you up from work,” Juri answered with ease, “Maybe I can have a feeling of how picking up your partner from work feels like.”

“Oh, shut it. You’re embarrassing me,” Kochi whined. Her cheeks turned slightly red.

‘How so?”

“Look at you. You look like you just got out of bed. I mean, I can’t blame you anyways.”

“I always dress up in this way, and now you have a problem?”

“I think you can dress a bit more differently. Those parents are glaring at you.”

Juri knew Kochi meant well. She was not the type to express her feelings directly. Kochi tends to say things in a way that it would cause the least amount of damage. Most likely stemmed from her occupation, where she had to lie a little so parents would not lash out on her. Juri understood that feeling.

All jobs had their burdens.

“Well, next time, I’ll wear something different!”

“I’m just saying. Don’t put stress on yourself.”

* * *

It had been a while since the two had dinner together. Kochi made curry on rice. Juri was not a picky eater. It was more like Juri had no interest in eating so she would eat anything Kochi made her. 

Kochi would be such girlfriend goals, Juri told herself.

After dinner, they sat down on the couch to have a talk.

Perhaps she should open up with whatever offer she received from her friend.

“So I was offered to be a model of some sort,” Juri said.

“Oh, really?” Kochi exclaimed. What an odd coincidence that Kochi thought about Juri getting her pictures taken by a professional.

“Yeah. My friend had a friend, Reika-san, who is a photographer. She’s finding different people to be in her photo book and apparently he recommended me to Reika-san.”

“Did you say yes?”

“Of course I did! I’m curious towards what photo book she is making and I’d like to get some pictures of myself taken.”

Juri sounded extra happy about accepting this offer.

“That’s great. You can broaden your horizons.”

“It’s unusual of you to immediately accept what I will be doing.”

“I have witnessed too much change from you, I’m actually kind of getting used to it.”

Kochi’s light giggle was endearing to hear.

“I can always change my mind and say no,” Juri mentioned.

“No, go ahead. I will buy that book when it comes out,” Kochi assured.

“I also have something for you.”

Juri hurriedly went into the room and took out a paper bag. She handed it to Kochi, who was very confused towards this situation. Taking a glance in the bag, it was that summer dress she wanted. The cute summer dress with the sunflower pattern.

Kochi almost screamed at the sight of this.

“You actually got it? For me?”

“Yeah. You said that you wanted it.”

“You don’t have to…”

Kochi looked like she was about to cry.

‘I feel bad for not paying things, so I’m getting this for you. I promise, I’ll pay half the rent again.”

Kochi did not say anything, but she nodded and hugged Juri tightly.

“Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.”

Juri gently patted Kochi’s head. Oh, she was cute. 

Perhaps, one day, she could tell Kochi about a few things. Maybe that offer she got from her friend?

Juri was excited just thinking about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided to write a new chapter. Honestly, I think I'm just trying to drag this AU, but I do like the domestic aspect of it. I didn't know how to end this chapter. I am sorry.  
> Personal life update: School began. It's all online but I feel so darn tired. I just want to vibe all day long and not use my brain. Also I went back to my school after like 4 months of not being there and I really miss the environment. I wish I can go back to school IRL as soon as possible :(  
> \- Note written on 14/9/2020, 12:11a.m.


End file.
